Butter for tobacco-stemming machines



Jan s, 1931. 1 H. ZEUN 1,787,966

BUTTER FOR TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINES Jan 6, 1931.

L. H. zEuN 1,787,966

BUTTER FOR TOBACCO STEMMING MACHINES Filed March 6, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v ATTORNEY Jan 6, 1931. H. zEUN BUTTER FOR ToBAcco STEMMING MACHINES Filed March 6, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet IQ( s* 1"( :rz-" 1// INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented .laria 6, 1931 ,Unire-Bs stares PATENT orties Louis H. anun, or, oafroiqsvimn MARYLANQXASSIGNOR on ONE-Texan fro JOHN is. Ante AND oNEfTHrRn 'ro `atenuar We. ,Ai'imiao'rr CFBALTIMORE, MARXLAND Burman non 'roiiAeoo-sTEMMiNG MACHINES Application led March `6,

rlhis invention relates to improvements in butters for tobacco-stemming machines, particularly thatvtypey wherein the leaves are individually stripped from the stems. 7

They particular object of this invention is theprovision otra butter capable of stripping a portion ofthe leaves *li-rom ythe butt ends or" the stems prior tothe engagement of v the stems byyleaf carrying members lottobacco stemming and@.strippingi machines.

A further object4 'of this Ainvention is the provision of .a butterconsisting of apluralf i ity of independently yieldable stein engag ing members connected inv a continuousunit so that the butt ends of 'the stems may beinf dependently engaged and a portion of the leaf stripped therefrom to permit said stems to be freely andaccurately engagedby the. stripping fingers oi' a tobaccostemming and stri p ping.A machine.

A further YobJect of this invention is provision of abutter eomprisinga plurality of independent stem yengaging'members connected together in a continuous band androtatably mounted about acam track, so that positive independent engagement of the hultt ends of tobacco leaf stems may be assured.

- Another object ol, theinvention is'the proision sut-jah mechanism wherein the leaves may bei-.stained and anchoredover a moving travelingapron,soas to permit the butter to engage and remove a portion of the leaves Vfi'ointhe stems Without movement laterallyV ofl the leaves l A still further ohj ect of theinvention is the provision of aknife, so yassociated with the butter that the terminals'ofl the' butt ends of the stems may be severed, should'they be of unusual size yor dimension, as to make stripping of the leaves therefrom impossible.

A still furtherobjeot of' theinvention is tlieprovision oi a butter comprising a plu-` [rality oii-iiidependently yieldable teethinembers connected together in a unit and provided with means for 'rotating thesame'con'- tinuously, so that a given portion of the leaves' maybe stripped Aroiiiithe butt ends of the stems prior to the entrance ofv the leavesto the strippiiigfinachine.`

WVith theseandfyother objects in view, the

1928. Serial No. 259,448.

invention `consists in Certain novel features, combination andL arrangement `of parts will` be hereinaftermore fully described, il-

- lustrated'in the accompanying drawings, and

vClaimed. f' i i In the drawings,

Figure l is a .sideelevational view yof my i iinprovedbutter, as applied to' a tobacco stemming machine; i

Figure 2 is atop planview of'my improved butter, illustratingthe method of operation and the manner o'feedingthe leaves thereto; i

IFigures and t represent a fragmentary enlarged detailed side elevational view ofther independently yieldable teeth, constituting` the butter and illustrating the method of holding the butt ends of the stems inftlieir gradualtraveling process, ivith their linitial engagement Withthe teeth until they pass beyond the severing knife; v

f FigureA 5 is a Vtransverse.V sectional vieiv, takenoii the lineff of Figure 8 g' Fgigure is a vertical sectional viefiv, taken on the line 6-6'of Figurel; and,

v,ligure 7 l isa detailedperspective View, illustrating` a removable knife.

lfhis invention .particularly relates to that type of tobaccol stemming andv stripping marhilies illustrated in the co-pending applications, Serial Nos. `V$0,490, 2am/.to2 and 256,397, liled August 4, 1927, January 13, 1,928, and February 23, 1928, respectively. ln. the lco-pending applications, there is shoivn and describeda tobacco. stemming andv stripping Vrmachine embodying means for conveyingthe leaves from a receiving end of a table to an outlet end, and during the travel of the leaves the stems are stripped therefrom Withoutdestroying the body of the leaves, andjvit. is to this particular type ofv machine that my improved butterl` 1is, adapted.

vvMy improved butter comprisesin its con* i en the shaft 12iis equipped at one end With a` gear 13, Which'in turn meshes With a gear 14,

Which is mounted on a shaft 15. y

Located under the table 6 and mounted on a bracket 16, carried by the supports 5, is a motor 17 equippedwitli a gear 18, which meshes With a gear 19 carried bythe shaft 15, through the medium of which gears and motor' the shafts 11,12, and 15,maybe rotated, which in turn Will rotate and Ycontrol the movement of the belts' or aprons 7 and 8, respectively. l Y ythe belts or aprons 7 and 8, respectively, are the feeding,- means forconveying the leaves from one end of the table to theA opposite end thereof, and. during this conveying action the butt ends of the'steins are stripped,A asYclearly,illustrated in Figure 2, to permit saidstems to be free to be grasped by the leafengaging and carryingmembers lof a strippinglmachine.

To assure an even and uniform feeding means of the leaves, there is provided a belt 20, Which is trained over a pulley 21 mounted on one end of the shaft 11. The free end of this belt `is trained over a pulley 22 carried by suitable brackets'23 on the underside of the table and at a point 'adj acent the feeder end of the butter proper. This belt 2O is rotated by virtue of the shaft 11, Which is rotated through the medium of the shafts 12, 15, and motor 17. l y

VMounted above saidy table in suitable supports 24, is'a' track or guide member 25, in VWhich is slidably mounted a plurality of yieldable teeth`26. The teethV arecarried by suitable holders 27, which are' connected in 'a single series by a driving chain 2,8. This chain is rotatably mounted about a driving' pulley 29 and an idler pulley 30. A The 'drive pulley is rotated by arshaft 31, Which shaft has its lower end provided With a gear 32, which meshes With a Worm 33 mounted on a shaft 34. The free end of the shaft 34 is provided with a gear 35, Which in turn meshes withagjear 36 carried by the shaft 15. Thus it`v can be seen that a'continuous rotational motion of the teeth of the butter is assured.

'The Construction of the guide'25 and teeth 26 is identical With the construction shown stems of tobacco leaves, there is arranged in said guides suitable springs 37, which have contact With the angular ends 38 of the independent yieldable teeth members 26. n

To provide a means whereby these teeth may be held during the stripping of the butt ends thereof, there is mounted over thetable 6 a presser band 39, Which is mounted and trainedA over suitable-pulleys 40 journaled in supports 41. These Ypulleys are mounted on suitable shafts carried by bearings 43,

which bearings are permitted to move vertically in said supports 41, by virtue ofthe re- -co that leaveshave stems of various sizes.

Theterminals of the butt ends of said stems areoftentimes enlarged andcause serious complications during thelstripping action, due to the fact that these enlarged ends will not pass through, the stripper. To overcome this-'serious'objection, there is secured to a portion of the table 6, a knife 45, which is rciuovable by virtue of the fasteningl elements 46. mits the cutting edge 47 to be resharpcned, or the knife as a Whole, replaced at the will of the operator. Y

lVhen tobacco leaves are fed in the receivingend of the machine, they are laid against a suitable guide 48 With the terminals of their butt ends contacting therewith, and the leaves laid fiat on the belts 7, 8, andL 20, re-

spectively Upon rotation ofthese belts the leaves Will be fed laterally or carried laterally underV the presser band 39 and the butt ends Aof the stems Will be engaged by the vertical dropping of the teeth 26, and due to the relative position of saidV butter, 'which is set at an angle tothe feeding belts, a'portion of the leaves will be stripped from' the butt ends of the stems, leaving,` them free andy unencumbered so as to assure a positive engagement between the stems andthe stripping mean-s of the'stennning machine.

In the event that thel 'terminals of the butt ends of these stems should be unnecessarily large, they Will be severed therefrom during,y the lateral movement thereof by coi'itact with the knife'. Y

To provide a means whereby-the butts or strippings freni the butt Aends of the stems may be saved, as itis important'that they should be saved, there is provided a chute 49, f

which is connected to and extends laterally from said table beneath the butter proper, and the leaves and buttfends of the-stems, after' the stripping action is completed, Will fallrinto said chute and be'conveyed to a properreceptacle.

, lt can be readily seen that when the motor is energized, that the shafts Will be rotated, which in turn Will rotate the butter, the aprons, and presser band, and it is then only necessary to feed the tobacco, as illustrated in Figure 2, and the butt ends will be cleanly stripped from the stems for the purpose desired;

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. Abutter for tobacco stemming and stripping' machines, comprising asupport, feed- The removability lof thisknife pering aprons movable over said support, a( plurality of independently yieldable teeth connected in a unit and mounted above said support, a cam track and guide for said tooth l5 unit, to permit individual engagement of the teeth with the butt ends of the tobacco stems, a presser band for saidv leaves, and a means for rotating said butter, presser band and feeding means,

,10 2. 'A butter for tobaccov stemming 'and stripping maehine,-eomprising a support, leaf feeding aprons mounted ,on said support, means for Continuously moving said apron-s, a plurality of independently lyieldable teeth connected in a continuous unit mounted above 1 I vsaid support, a eam track and guide for said lteeth, whereby they may have independent engagement' with the butt ends of tobacco lea'l'V stems, a resilientlyV vmounted"presser band mounted vabove said support and -in elose proximity togsaid butter, said presser band` adapted to be rot-ated so as to retain said leaves against lateral movement on the aprons duringthe actionv of the butter in removing` 2D the butt ends ofthe stems.V y f g' 3. Abutter for tobacco stemming machines, comprising a plurality oi independently yieldable teeth, means for connecting said teeth in a continuous unit,'a cam track for e() said teeth, resilient means engaging said teeth, a presser band,.means for rotating said tee-th and presser band, and a' removable knife associated With said teeth to sev-er said tobacco leaf stems passing thereover. In testimony whereof he hereunto affiXes his signature.

' y'Louis H. ZEN. 

